Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. An image processing apparatus for radiation images, the apparatus comprising: a condition acquisition unit configured to acquire conditions for performing radiation imaging, including information indicating an anatomical region to be imaged; an image acquisition unit configured to acquire partial images obtained by shooting partial regions of an entire shooting region, respectively, wherein the entire shooting region corresponds to the acquired information indicating an anatomical region to be imaged; a correction unit configured to acquire a correction value for shifting a pixel value of at least one of the partial regions so that a difference between pixel values of regions common to the partial images is reduced; a feature amount acquisition unit configured to acquire a feature amount of at least one of the partial images based on the acquired information indicating an anatomical region to be imaged, wherein the acquired feature amount is for gradation conversion processing; a characteristic acquisition unit configured to acquire a gradation conversion processing characteristic based on the acquired correction value and the acquired feature amount; and an image processing unit configured to perform, based on the acquired correction value and the processing characteristic, image processing on an image acquired by joining the partial images, to acquire a processed image, wherein gradation of the processed image has been converted.
An image processing system for radiation images stitches together multiple partial images of an anatomical region to create a complete image. It first acquires imaging conditions, including the target anatomical region. It then acquires partial images, and corrects pixel value shifts between overlapping regions of the partial images to reduce discrepancies. The system analyzes these partial images to extract a "feature amount" related to the region, which is used for gradation conversion (adjusting brightness/contrast). Based on the shift correction and the feature amount, the system then applies image processing to the combined image, adjusting its gradation for improved clarity.
2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine, according to the acquired information indicating the anatomical region, a feature amount acquired from each of the partial images and a method for acquiring a gradation conversion processing characteristic from the acquired feature amount.
The image processing apparatus described in claim 1 can automatically determine which features to extract from the partial images, and how to use those features to adjust image gradation, based on the identified anatomical region being imaged. For example, different anatomical regions (e.g., lung vs. bone) may require different features and processing methods for optimal image quality.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine from which partial image a pixel value of a region of interest in an object is acquired as the feature amount.
The image processing apparatus described in claim 1 can determine which partial image contains a specific region of interest within the object being imaged, and then extracts the feature amount from *that* specific partial image for subsequent gradation conversion. It intelligently selects the most relevant partial image as the source for the feature amount.
4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine a process for acquiring the processing characteristic, based on an average value or a median value of pixel values of a region of interest in an object, wherein the region of interest is obtained from the partial images.
The image processing apparatus described in claim 1 determines how to process an image, specifically for gradation, based on the average or median pixel values within a region of interest in the object. These pixel statistics from the partial images guide the system to select an appropriate process for gradation conversion.
5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feature amount acquisition unit is configured to acquire the feature amount from a region of the partial image that does not overlap with another partial image.
In the image processing apparatus described in claim 1, the feature amount used for image processing is obtained from non-overlapping areas of the partial images. This avoids using redundant information and ensures that the feature amount is representative of a unique region within the overall image.
6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction unit is configured to shift, based on the acquired correction value, a pixel value of at least one of the partial images, and to approximately match a pixel value representative of a region common of the partial images, wherein the characteristic acquisition unit is configured to acquire the gradation conversion processing characteristic based on the at least one of the partial images.
In the image processing apparatus described in claim 1, the system adjusts the pixel values of partial images based on the calculated correction value to approximately match pixel values in the overlapping areas. Using these corrected partial images, the system determines gradation conversion characteristics used for final image processing.
7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the characteristic acquisition unit is configured to acquire a gradation conversion processing characteristic corresponding to each partial image, and wherein the image processing apparatus further comprises a control unit configured to display the gradation conversion processing characteristic as an option with the image obtained by joining the partial images, and wherein the control unit is configured to perform, according to an input for selecting the gradation conversion processing characteristic, gradation conversion of the selected processing characteristic on the image obtained by joining the partial images, and to display the processed image.
The image processing apparatus described in claim 1 can calculate and display multiple gradation conversion options for each partial image. A user can select a preferred gradation conversion, and the system applies that conversion to the combined image and displays the processed result. The different gradation options are presented as choices to the user.
8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feature amount acquisition unit is configured to acquire, as the feature amount, at least one of a maximum pixel value, a minimum pixel value, and a region-of-interest pixel value of an object region shown in the partial images.
In the image processing apparatus described in claim 1, the feature amount extracted from the partial images includes the maximum pixel value, the minimum pixel value, or the pixel value within a specific region of interest in the object being imaged. One or more of these values can be used to determine appropriate image processing parameters.
9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the acquired gradation conversion processing characteristic is information indicating one of a function used in the gradation conversion and a lookup table used in the gradation conversion.
In the image processing apparatus described in claim 1, the gradation conversion processing characteristic used to adjust the image is defined as either a mathematical function or a lookup table (LUT). This function or LUT is applied to the image data to convert the gradation.
10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a generation unit configured to generate an image by joining partial images; and a control unit configured to control the generation unit and the characteristic acquisition unit; wherein the characteristic acquisition unit is configured to analyze each of the partial images to acquire the gradation conversion processing characteristics; and wherein the control unit is configured to control the characteristic acquisition unit to perform the analysis in parallel with the generation of the joined image by the generation unit.
The image processing apparatus described in claim 1 contains a module that generates a combined image from the partial images and a control unit. The control unit manages both the image generation and analysis of partial images to determine gradation conversion characteristics. The analysis to determine gradation conversion parameters occurs in parallel with the generation of the combined image, improving processing speed.
11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a processing unit configured to, according to a width of a pixel value distribution for a region of interest in the generated joined image, divide the region of interest into a plurality of groups to be highlighted based on the same gradation conversion; wherein the characteristic acquisition unit is configured to acquire a gradation conversion processing characteristic corresponding to each of the groups.
The image processing apparatus described in claim 1 analyzes the pixel value distribution in a region of interest of the combined image. Based on the distribution's width, the region is divided into groups needing separate gradation adjustments. The apparatus calculates a specific gradation conversion characteristic for each of these groups to enhance details.
12. A radiation imaging system comprising: the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ; a radiation source configured to emit radiation; a detector configured to detect radiation emitted from the radiation source and passing through an object, and to convert the detected radiation into an electric signal representing an image of the object; and a display unit configured to display the converted image.
A radiation imaging system comprises an image processing apparatus as described in claim 1, a radiation source, a detector to convert detected radiation into an image signal, and a display unit to show the image. The image processing apparatus enhances the image quality before it's displayed, improving the visualization of the object.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which, when run on a device, causes the device to act as the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 .
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores a program that, when executed, implements the image processing apparatus described in claim 1. This includes all the steps of acquiring partial images, correcting pixel values, extracting features, determining gradation conversion characteristics, and performing image processing.
14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feature amount acquisition unit is configured to acquire a plurality of types of feature amounts from at least one of the partial images.
In the image processing apparatus described in claim 1, the system can extract several types of feature amounts from at least one of the partial images. This allows for a more comprehensive analysis of the image data and improved gradation conversion.
15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine, based on the acquired information indicating the anatomical region, which of the types of feature amounts obtained from which of the partial images is used for acquiring the processing characteristic, wherein the characteristic acquisition unit is configured to acquire a gradation conversion processing characteristic based on a determination of the determination unit.
The image processing apparatus described in claim 14 can determine which types of feature amounts, extracted from which partial images, should be used for gradation conversion, based on the identified anatomical region being imaged. The system intelligently selects the most relevant features for processing based on the anatomical context.
16. An image processing apparatus for radiation images, comprising: a region acquisition unit configured to acquire information indicating an anatomical region; an image acquisition unit configured to acquire partial images obtained by shooting partial regions of an entire shooting region, respectively, wherein the entire shooting region corresponds to the acquired information indicating the anatomical region; a correction unit configured to acquire a correction value for shifting a pixel value of at least one of the partial images so that a difference between pixel values of regions common to the partial images is reduced; a feature amount acquisition unit configured to acquire a feature amount of at least one of the partial images based on the acquired information indicating the anatomical region, wherein the acquired feature amount is for gradation conversion processing; a characteristic acquisition unit configured to acquire a gradation conversion processing characteristic based on the acquired correction value and the acquired feature amount; and an image processing unit configured to perform, based on the acquired correction value and the processing characteristic, image processing on an image based on the partial images, to acquire a processed image wherein gradation of the processed image has been converted.
An image processing apparatus for radiation images stitches together multiple partial images of an anatomical region to create a complete image. It first acquires anatomical region information. It then acquires partial images, and corrects pixel value shifts between overlapping regions of the partial images to reduce discrepancies. The system analyzes these partial images to extract a "feature amount" related to the region, which is used for gradation conversion (adjusting brightness/contrast). Based on the shift correction and the feature amount, the system then applies image processing to the combined image, adjusting its gradation for improved clarity.
17. An image processing method for radiation images, comprising: acquiring information indicating an anatomical region; acquiring partial images obtained by shooting partial regions of an entire shooting region, respectively, wherein the entire shooting region corresponds to the acquired information indicating the anatomical region; acquiring a correction value for shifting a pixel value of at least one of the partial images so that a difference between pixel values of regions common to the partial images is reduced; acquiring a feature amount of at least one of the partial images based on the acquired information indicating the anatomical region, wherein the acquired feature amount is for gradation conversion processing; acquiring a gradation conversion processing characteristic based on the acquired correction value and the acquired feature amount; and performing, based on the acquired correction value and the processing characteristic, image processing on an image based on the partial images, to acquire a processed image wherein gradation of the processed image has been converted.
An image processing method for radiation images stitches together multiple partial images of an anatomical region to create a complete image. It involves acquiring anatomical region information, acquiring partial images, and correcting pixel value shifts between overlapping regions of the partial images to reduce discrepancies. The method analyzes these partial images to extract a "feature amount" related to the region, which is used for gradation conversion (adjusting brightness/contrast). Based on the shift correction and the feature amount, the method then applies image processing to the combined image, adjusting its gradation for improved clarity.
18. An image processing method for radiation images, the method comprising: acquiring conditions for performing radiation imaging, including information indicating an anatomical region to be imaged; acquiring partial images obtained by shooting partial regions of an entire shooting region, respectively, wherein the entire shooting region corresponds to the acquired information indicating an anatomical region to be imaged; acquiring a correction value for shifting a pixel value of at least one of the partial images so that a difference between pixel values of regions common to the partial images is reduced; acquiring a feature amount of at least one of the partial images based on the acquired information indicating an anatomical region to be imaged, wherein the acquired feature amount is for gradation conversion processing; acquiring a gradation conversion processing characteristic based on the acquired correction value and the acquired feature amount; and performing, based on the acquired correction value and the processing characteristic, image processing on an image acquired by joining the partial images, to acquire a processed image wherein gradation of the processed image has been converted.
This method processes radiation images by first obtaining imaging conditions, including the specific anatomical region being scanned. Multiple partial images are then acquired, each capturing a segment of the entire area corresponding to that anatomical region. A correction value is calculated to adjust pixel brightness in overlapping regions of these partial images, reducing visual differences. Key image features (e.g., maximum/minimum pixel values, region-of-interest pixel values) are extracted from at least one partial image. This feature extraction is based on the identified anatomical region and is specifically for tone adjustment. A gradation conversion profile (like a tone curve or lookup table) is then determined using both the calculated pixel correction and the extracted image features. Finally, the partial images are joined into a single, complete image. This joined image then undergoes tone adjustment, applying the pixel correction and the determined gradation profile, to produce a high-quality, processed radiation image.
19. The image processing method according to claim 18 , wherein the feature acquiring acquires a plurality of types of feature amounts from at least one of the partial images.
In the image processing method described in claim 18, the step of feature acquisition involves retrieving multiple different types of feature amounts from at least one of the partial images. This allows for a more comprehensive analysis of the image data and improved gradation conversion.
20. The image processing method according to claim 19 , further comprising: determining, based on the acquired information indicating the anatomical region, which of the types of feature amounts obtained from which of the partial images is used for acquiring the processing characteristic, wherein in the acquiring of the gradation conversion processing characteristic, the gradation conversion processing characteristic is acquired based on a determination of the determination unit.
The image processing method described in claim 19 also includes a step of determining which types of feature amounts, from which partial images, are most suitable for gradation conversion. This determination is based on the anatomical region being imaged, and the gradation conversion is performed based on this selection.
21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for a computer to execute the method of claim 18 .
A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores a program that, when executed by a computer, performs the image processing method described in claim 18. This includes all the steps of acquiring partial images, correcting pixel values, extracting features, determining gradation conversion characteristics, and performing image processing.
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September 2, 2014
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